Reducing authentication steps during Wi-Fi and 5G handover

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

• receive, at a target network node associated with a target network and from a User Equipment (UE), a re-authentication initiate request comprising both (1) a key name associated with a previously-authenticated session of the UE at a source network and (2) an integrity protected message generated by the UE using a key identified by the key name, the target network comprising one of a 5G network or a Wi-Fi network and the source network comprising a different one of the 5G network or the Wi-Fi network;
• send the re-authentication initiate request with the key name and the integrity protected message to an authentication server associated with the target network and the source network, wherein the authentication server stores the key in connection with the previously-authenticated session of the UE at the source network and prior to receiving the re-authentication initiate request and wherein the authentication server validates the integrity protected message and generates a re-authentication master session key (MSK);
• receive, from the authentication server, the re-authentication MSK associated with the previously-authenticated session of the UE authenticated for the source network based on the key name;
• and
• authenticate a session between the UE and the target network based on the re-authentication MSK and on a session key generated by the UE and associated with the key name and the integrity protected message.

A system for performing authentication, comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and memory including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
• store a key, an associated key name and an associated security context, the key name associated with a successful authentication of a user equipment (UE) for a source network to yield an authenticated session between the UE and a source network node, the source network comprising a 5G network or a Wi-Fi network;
• receive, from a target network node associated with a target network, a re-authentication initiate message comprising the key name and an integrity protected message generated by the UE using the key, the re-authentication initiate message requesting authentication of the UE for the target network based on the key name, the target network comprising a different one of the 5G network or the Wi-Fi network;
• validate the integrity protected message;
• generate, based on the integrity protected message, a re-authentication master session key (MSK);
• and
• authenticate, based on the re-authentication MSK, the target network node based on the key name by reusing a security context from the successful authentication of the UE for the source network for a handover from the source network to the target network.